Mayor Gondek Must Repay Taxpayers

Mayor Gondek Must Repay Taxpayers

Recently, we discovered that Mayor Jyoti Gondek spent $107,324 of Calgary taxpayer money on a public relations agency, for what appears to have been a personal political makeover.

Mayor Gondek insists this spending was necessary to improve communication from her office.

But, the agency provided media coaching, website redesign, speechwriting, and messaging support - services clearly aimed at reshaping her public image rather than addressing city-wide communication needs.

And, lo and behold, many of the messages and communications elements contained in this taxpayer-funded rebrand seem to be showing up in her campaign material, too.

We're sure that's just a coincidence, though? Right?

In reality, if the goal genuinely was just better communication, there were numerous ways to achieve that without creating a flashy new personal website, and exercises in empathy training, posture, eye contact, and hand gestures.

City communications could have been strengthened through the resources already available: existing City staff, proper channels, and improved internal coordination - without turning taxpayer funds into a personal rebranding campaign.

You could also (maybe?) justify this kind of expenditure if it were done as part of training at the start of a four-year term, and open and available to all elected officials, not just the Mayor.

Doing it just in time for a re-election campaign seems pretty blatant.

Calgarians deserve transparency, accountability, and integrity. 

Over $100,000 in taxpayer money was used for services designed to make her appear more relatable, empathetic, and competent.

Taxpayer dollars should support City services, infrastructure, and the needs of citizens, not a personal PR campaign for the Mayor herself. 

This spending blurs the line between official City duties and political ambition, undermines public trust, and sets a dangerous precedent for future elected officials.

Mayor Gondek must return these funds to taxpayers, acknowledge the misuse, and commit to prioritizing City services over personal image campaigns in the future.

We are calling on Mayor Gondek to reimburse the $107,324 to Calgary taxpayers personally (or at least from her campaign funds) and restore faith in City leadership. 

Calgarians deserve a Mayor who respects the line between governance and electioneering, demonstrates integrity, and manages taxpayer money responsibly.

If you agree, please sign the petition.